


In the Meadow

by RachelisTheWendyBird



Series: In the Life of Severus Snape [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Forests, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hide and Seek, Male-Female Friendship, Meadow, Summer, Teen Romance, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 22:59:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1281907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelisTheWendyBird/pseuds/RachelisTheWendyBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the first in a series of looks into the life of Severus Snape. It takes place in the summer before Severus and Lily's fifth year, and it is one of the last carefree and uncomplicated summers they spent together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Meadow

**Author's Note:**

> Spoiler Warning: if you have not read/seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, don't read on.

Lily crept as quietly as she could through the trees. It was late afternoon, and the golden sun shone with a dappled green light as it filtered through the canopy of summer leaves. A slight breeze rustled the leaves and caused her hair to flutter about her face. She paused, listening. She could no longer hear Severus counting. She gave a small smile. It would take him a long time to find her.

She continued to walk deeper into the forest, and eventually came across a spot where two large trees grew very close together in front of a large rock face. She approached the spot and discovered the trees concealed a small crevice in the rock face just big enough for her: the perfect hiding spot. She squeezed between the trees and the rock and settled herself in the crevice. Severus will never find me here, she thought mischievously. She giggled softly. There was a small gap between the two trees. She peered through it, waiting and listening.

After a few minutes Lily heard the distant sound of leaves crunching underfoot. She pressed her face closer to her peephole, trying to see. The footsteps got closer, and suddenly the person they belonged to stepped into her line of sight.

Severus was standing 10 feet away, almost directly in front of her hiding spot. He had stopped walking, and was looking around inquisitively, as though wondering which way to go next. He looked a bit ridiculous in his black Hogwarts cloak, but he seemed to like wearing his Hogwarts clothes through the summer. Twice his eyes passed directly over her hiding spot. On the third time he paused, and his eyes narrowed as though he had noticed something. He began walking slowly towards the two trees behind which Lily was concealed. Lily held her breath, trying to keep as still and silent as possible.

About half way to her Severus stopped and looked off to the right (his left) as though he had heard something, and walked off in that direction. Lily waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps, then shimmied out of her hiding spot. She kept her back pressed firmly up against the rough bark, and craned her head around the tree in the direction she thought Severus had gone.

“Aha!” exclaimed a voice from behind her. Lily whipped her head around and gave a shriek that changed quickly to laughter when she saw it was Severus. Then she turned and sprinted off through the trees, back the way she had come. She could hear Severus chasing after her. Severus’ legs were longer, but Lily was quicker. Brambles caught at the hem of her dress, but she did not care. Eventually the trees began to thin, and they suddenly burst from the forest into a wide meadow. Lily ran like a deer, her arms outstretched, as though she were about to fly. Finally, when she couldn’t run anymore, she flung herself down onto the soft grass, flat on her back, heart pounding. She was laughing, her arms still stretched out on either side. She heard Severus plop down beside her on the left, also laughing quietly. Lily rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow, and Severus did the same. As their laughter died, they looked at each other, soft smiles on both of their faces.

Lily studied Severus’ face. The way his raven-black hair fell into his face like a curtain; his pale skin; his thin, soft lips; his bold nose, which was a bit to big for a person his size, yet accented his face perfectly. Lily loved everything about his face. Except for his eyes. She often thought of them as tightly sealed steel vaults that no one knew the combination too. Coal black. Lily didn’t like them because they seemed to conceal everything that Severus truly was, so that she never really knew what Severus truly was. They’re like a mask. She thought to herself. Like a Death Eater mask. 

Lily shook herself mentally. She was just imagining things. After all, they were not always like that. Over the years she had realized that whenever Severus gave one of those rare smiles, or one of those even rarer peals of laughter, his eyes seemed to open up. And Lily found that his eyes weren’t black at all, but darkest brown, like melted chocolate. They were beautiful. At times like these when Severus smiled and laughed, Lily thought she could see a bit of his soul shine through his eyes, and she saw the soul of one much older than him. A soul that needed an anchor to keep from straying.

Lily dropped her gaze, tracing circles in the grass with her finger. That was another thing she didn’t like. Not that his soul was old, but the fact that it had been made that way. Severus always had that air of neglect about him, and he always seemed so forlorn. Who could blame him, with parents like his? This was why Lily always tried to get him to come to her house. It was good for him to get away from his lonely house, and she thought it cheered him to be around her parents. Her mother felt sorry for him, and always spoke most highly of him. Petunia of course made an effort to be as sour as possible, but Lily tried not to let it bother her.

She glanced back up at Severus, but he had also dropped his gaze, and was staring down at his hand, brow furrowed like it was when he was deep in thought, or brewing a particularly difficult potion. He said nothing. That was one of the things Lily liked about Severus. He did not feel the need to fill silence with meaningless chatter. Lily often thought that people talked too much. But she was curious as to what Severus was thinking.

“Penny for your thoughts, Sev,” Lily said quietly, smiling at the surprised look on his face.

“What? Oh. Well, I was just wondering why we still play such a childish game. I mean, we are 15 now.”

Severus looked back down at his hand. Was that a blush in his cheeks? In the fading light, Lily couldn’t be sure. She laughed. He could be so bashful. 

“I like to know that we can still have fun doing innocent things together. You know?”

“Yeah,” Severus said, “I do.”

Severus smiled again, changing his eyes from coal to melted chocolate again. It was astonishing, the difference a simple smile could inflict. In the delicate golden glow of the setting sun, he looked sort of beautiful. Suddenly Lily wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

Whoa. Where did that come from? Lily thought. She had never considered it before, but in that moment, it sounded nice.

“What is it, Lily?” Severus asked.

Lily looked up, startled. She realized her emotions must have shown on her face.

“Oh! Uh, nothing, really,” she said, casting her mind around for something to say to cover up her slip. “I was just, um, thinking about new things.”

Lily’s cheeks felt hot. She hoped Severus couldn’t see her blushing. Luckily, he didn’t ask her to elaborate. That was another thing Lily liked about him. He never pried. Although ironically enough, it just made Lily more likely to share what was on her mind. Maybe because she felt she could trust him. Why? Lily wasn’t sure.

“It’s getting late,” Severus said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts once again. “I’ll walk you back home.”

He stood, and then reached down his hand to help her up. Lily took it, and he pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, Severus let go of her hand. Lily hadn’t realized how late it was. The sun was setting, throwing its vibrate colors of red and orange over the sky, covering everything with a soft golden glow. It was very beautiful. Severus and Lily stood looking for a moment, then turned and walked back towards her house.

•

Severus walked beside Lily, saying nothing, and taking every chance he could to steal a glance at her. The light of the setting sun caught her red hair, making it glow like fire. Did she know how lovely she was? She was wearing her blue dress, the one she had gotten upon her arrival back home for the summer. Severus remembered when she had shown it to him, about a week into their summer break, when he had come round her house for dinner. It was a scoop neck, with short sleeves. The hem fell to just past her knees. Tea-length, she had called it. It showed her modesty, her playfulness, and her beauty. It was Severus’ favorite dress. 

Lily also said nothing as they walked. She was rarely chatty, and often complained that people talked too much. Severus greatly appreciated this, as he much preferred to sit in silence. But sometimes she would confide in him when they were alone together. He wasn’t sure why, but he was glad she did. After all, she was the only one he felt that he could confide in. He had no one else. 

He thought back to earlier in the meadow, after he had asked Lily about playing hide and seek. A funny look had crossed her face, like some bizarre thought had suddenly occurred her. Something she had never considered before, but had suddenly found she was curious about. When he’d asked about it, Lily had said she was thinking about new things. Severus wondered what this meant. He had thought he saw her blush, but with the fading light he couldn’t be sure. He wondered what the new things were. He spent countless hours trying to figure out what she was thinking. He had found she was much harder to figure out than even the most complex potion.

After a while Severus could see Lily’s house in the distance. They had reached the tall oak tree that stood in her backyard. Lily stopped under it, and turned to face him, her back resting against the tree. They had spent many long days in the shade of that tree, or else in its branches. It was one of their favorite spots.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Lily asked.

“If you like,” Severus replied, shrugging, looking down at his feet.

“I always like to see you, Severus.” She sounded surprised.

Severus smiled slightly, and looked back up at her. The sun was really setting now. He noticed again how the deep reds and oranges of the sun caught her long, red hair and made it glow like a warm fire. The sun was directly to their left, so half her face was lit with golden its light, the other half in shadow. God, she was beautiful. He wondered, as he often did, what it would be like to run his fingers through that hair, touch that cheek, and kiss those full, pink lips…

“Sev?”

Lily’s voiced brought Severus abruptly back to reality. She was looking at him steadily with those bright green eyes. She was biting her lip, and looked very uncertain, which was unusual for her.

“Yes?” He replied, curious.

She opened her mouth on the verge of speech, but then closed it again, looking down at her feet. Was she blushing again? It was impossible to tell in the half-light. 

“What is it?” Severus urged, intrigued.

“It’s just, well, nothing, really. Just those new things again.” 

Severus’ curiosity intensified. What were these “new things?” And why was she dwelling on them so much? He wondered, did they maybe have something to do with him?

“Lily. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know,” She assured him. 

Suddenly she smiled, that smile that lit up her eyes. Severus smiled back. The next thing he knew, Lily had rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. Her touch was like a spark of fire.

“Thank you for always being there, Sev,” Lily sighed.

Severus tried to speak, but he could hardly breath. His head was whirling. She had never held him like this before. A moment later Lily pulled back and locked eyes with him. She was still smiling. Her face was so close to his. Severus did not know what made him do it. Before he was aware of it, he had taken her face in his hands and kissed her full on the lips. He kissed her tenderly, lovingly, and eagerly.

Severus felt Lily stiffen when their lips met, but he did not stop. Eventually he felt her relax. He felt her hands on his chest. And her lips began to move with his. 

The sun had finally set and the moon was out when they finally broke apart. Severus looked down at Lily. She still had a look of surprise on her face. Her eyes seemed to stare without seeing. Severus wondered what she was thinking. He could feel himself blushing. He felt a sudden urge to flee from that spot. He quickly dropped his hands, turned, and walked away. He thought he heard her whisper “goodnight, Severus,” as he left, but he couldn’t be sure.

•

Lily was utterly surprised by Severus’ kiss. He was not the type to do unexpected things. She found she enjoyed the feel of his lips, soft and eager on hers. She could not say how long they stood there, entwined, but it was dark when Severus finally did pull away. Lily wanted to say something, but before she could Severus had walked away. She turned to watch him go.

“Goodnight, Severus,” She called after him, but she was not sure he had heard. Either way, he did not stop. 

Lily stood there long after Severus had been swallowed up by the darkness. Finally she turned and walked towards her house. When she stepped through the back door she ignored the sounds of her family eating dinner and went strait up to her bedroom. She walked over to her bed and dropped down onto it without getting undressed. 

Lily laid there a long time, lost in thought. She wondered, would their relationship be different now? She rolled over onto her side, looking out of her window. She could see the oak tree they had stood under, illuminated by the moon. After a while Lily closed her eyes. As she did, she decided the next time she saw Severus, she would act as though nothing had changed. But I will be his anchor. She decided. I’ll make sure he doesn’t stray.

•

Severus was so lost in thought that the ten-minute walk to his house seemed to take no time at all. When he got to his house, he rushed strait to his bedroom, bolting the door behind him. He walked over to his desk, which had a window that faced north so that light penetrated into his room for most of the day. On his desk sat a small ceramic pot with a seedling in it. Severus looked at it, surprised. This morning when he had watered it, it had looked withered. He had feared it would die. He didn’t know much about growing plants. But now it looked healthy and strong. It had even started to bloom. 

The pure white lily was still small, only just starting to open it’s petals. It looked tentative, but hopeful. This lily looked almost as beautiful as the one he had just kissed. This was fitting, as he was growing it for her, after all. He planned to put an everlasting spell on it at Hogwarts and give it to her for Christmas. Severus smiled at the flower. It would live. It would last. He was sure of it.


End file.
